In a world of fast fashion trends, Red Wing Heritage is celebrating the opposite and encouraging customers to keep their boots for years – even decades – by offering tiny wills to be stitched into boot tongues for the next generation of wearers. In a single year, the UK sends around 360,000 tonnes of clothing to landfill.
Launched October 2 as part of the brand’s Will Your Wings campaign, a tiny will with “Worn By” and “Left To” fields can be stitched into customers’ boot tongues, designating who will be next to write their own Red Wing story.
Born from the same mission as their previous campaign Out of Fashion, Red Wing’s Will Your Wings campaign champions a commitment to high-quality, handcrafted product that’s built to last and gets even better with age. As part of that commitment, Red Wing’s repair shop in Minnesota refreshes, re-soles and reconditions upwards of 40,000 boots each year, ultimately diverting 54 tons from landfills – an initiative that extends throughout Europe.
It’s no surprise that over the years, several customers have shared testimonies about their boots being handed down over 50+ years, with some even “willing their Wings” back to Red Wing after years of love and wear to be retired in the corporate archives.
That’s what Will Your Wings is all about — cherishing family heirlooms, giving great product the fullest and longest life cycle possible, and celebrating the personal stories and years of artful patina created with each pair of Red Wing boots.
